| The International Freak and Fantasy Film Festival of Vigo confirms the dates for its new edition, which will take place from September 18 to 26, 2026.
| New this year: the Méliès d’Argent award for Best European Short Film and a competition for projects in development.
| The full rules and guidelines are available on the festival’s website.
16.12.2025 | The Galician Freaky Film Festival (GFFF) is officially calling for short films to be part of its 10th edition, or #X Edition, which will take place from September 18 to 26, 2026.
Submissions can be made until May 11, 2026, through the platforms FilmFreeway and Festhome, or via the form available on the festival’s official website, where you can also find the complete submission guidelines.
The call is open to professional and amateur filmmakers from around the world, with no limit on the number of submissions per author, as long as the films were produced in 2024 or later. Only short films are accepted, with a maximum duration of 30 minutes, and they must fall into one of the festival’s genres: horror, fantasy, science fiction, or freak.
Additionally, short films aimed at a children’s and family audience are eligible for the Pequefreak Official Section, a popular parallel festival to the GFFF that has, for the past five years, brought the “freak” culture to younger audiences and sparked a passion for cinema in the next generations.
Selected films will become part of the official competition of the 10th edition of the festival and will be eligible for one of the 11 awards given by both the public and a specialized jury. As a novelty, this year, the GFFF introduces a new award following its membership with the Méliès Federation: the Méliès d’Argent (Méliès Silver), which will be awarded to the Best European Short Film. The winning film will participate directly in the Méliès d’Or competition, organized annually by the European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation.
In 2025, the GFFF received over 750 short films from all five continents, creating a stunning selection of the latest and greatest from the global “freak” audiovisual scene. Once again, the festival received good reviews from guests and audiences, with more than 4,000 “freaks” attending the 2025 edition.
FREAK PITCH: THE FUTURE OF FREAK CINEMA
One of the most exciting new features for 2026 is the creation of Freak Pitch, a competition for short films in development. The projects eligible to participate must belong to the fantasy or freak genres and be in the pre-production phase. Submissions can be made through FilmFreeway and Festhome.
Eight projects will be selected and presented by their creators to a professional jury during the festival. Two cash prizes of €500 each will be awarded: the Freak Pitch Award for the best “freak” project, and the Galician Freak Pitch Award for the best Galician project.
With this new initiative, the GFFF aims to foster the creation of “freak” and fantastic cinema while promoting the production of such projects originating in Galicia.
#X EDITION: CELEBRATING A DECADE OF FREAKISM
The Galician Freaky Film Festival delves deep into the “freak” essence of cinema, celebrating the most alternative and cult audiovisual culture. This international festival of fantastic and freak cinema stands out for its unique atmosphere, attracting more and more “freaks” to Vigo every year to experience it firsthand. Additionally, it offers a carefully curated selection of short films, featuring exclusive premieres in Galicia, and is the only festival in the world that subtitles all foreign-language films in Galician.
The festival’s recent inclusion in the prestigious Méliès Federation, as well as the support of over 4,000 attendees at its 2025 edition (held from September 19 to 27), solidifies the GFFF as an essential destination for lovers of fantastic and alternative cinema worldwide.